Tribal Energy: Federal Assistance to Support Microgrid Development

Tribes and their citizens may experience difficulties obtaining reliable and affordable electricity or may not be connected to a traditional electricity grid at all. Inadequate electrical infrastructure or severe weather events can leave Tribes and their citizens without power for critical buildings and emergency services.

Microgrids are electricity systems that can operate independently from a traditional electricity grid. Microgrids can help Tribes deliver power to their communities and protect from grid disruptions. However, developing a microgrid can be a costly and complex endeavor that poses financial, technical, and other challenges for Tribes.

The Department of the Interior’s Indian Affairs organization, …

Aggregated Distributed Energy Resources in 2024: The Fundamentals

The current and anticipated growth of distributed energy resources (DERs) is changing the energy landscape. Unmanaged, DERs have the potential to disrupt grid operations and require additional infrastructure build out. However, when managed and incentivized appropriately, DERs—especially when aggregated—can provide tremendous value to the grid and reduce unnecessary system costs. State-level policymakers and regulators have the opportunity to establish rules and requirements for aggregated DERs (ADERs) and enable policies and programs to bring these resources online safely and effectively. However, as ADERs continue to evolve, there are a myriad of technical and economic challenges policymakers will have to overcome. Establishing …

Transforming Delhi’s Power Grid

Delhi, projected to be the world’s largest metropolitan area by 2030, faces significant challenges due to rapid urbanization and an increasing demand for electricity, particularly at peak times. Delhi’s peak electricity demand is projected to grow by 50 percent over this decade, with renewable energy expected to account for 50 percent of the city’s power supply during the same period. This surge in demand and the shift toward renewables highlight a critical need to enhance grid flexibility — the ability of a power system to maintain continuous reliable service in the face of rapid and large swings in supply or …

Optimizing Dynamic Wireless Charging for Electric Buses

The network configuration significantly impacts the performance of dynamic wireless charging (DWC) technology for electric buses. Here, this study presents a novel approach to planning charging infrastructure for public transit using data-driven nonconvex mixed-integer optimization. Integrating DWC and charging station technologies reveals a trade-off between enroute and stationary charging times. The framework optimizes bus frequency settings and transmitter coil arrangements to minimize operational and infrastructure costs. A case study in Chattanooga, Tennessee, demonstrates the method’s effectiveness in mitigating range anxiety and reducing charging expenses. This research implies that integrating DWC technology into public transit systems can enhance the feasibility and …

National Nuclear Security Administration

NNSA plans to invest tens of billions of dollars in its decades-long effort to modernize the facilities and infrastructure needed to produce the strategic materials and components required for nuclear weapons. However, NNSA has a history of program management challenges, and recent GAO reports have identified challenges with NNSA’s use of program schedules and cost estimates.

A committee report accompanying a bill for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 includes a provision for GAO to review NNSA’s requirements for the integrated planning of the Production Modernization effort. This GAO report (1) describes NNSA’s Production Modernization programs and …

Lithium-Ion Battery Components are at the Nexus of Sustainable Energy and Environmental Release of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances

Lithium-ion batteries (LiBs) are used globally as a key component of clean and sustainable energy infrastructure, and emerging LiB technologies have incorporated a class of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) known as bis-perfluoroalkyl sulfonimides (bis-FASIs). PFAS are recognized internationally as recalcitrant contaminants, a subset of which are known to be mobile and toxic, but little is known about environmental impacts of bis-FASIs released during LiB manufacture, use, and disposal. Here we demonstrate that environmental concentrations proximal to manufacturers, ecotoxicity, and treatability of bis-FASIs are comparable to PFAS such as perfluorooctanoic acid that are now prohibited and highly regulated worldwide, and …

U.S. Energy Policy Simulator Version 4.0

Model version 4.0 includes new features such as an entirely rebuilt electricity sector with hourly electricity dispatch, seven new power plant types, electricity storage, estimation of wholesale electricity prices, and more. This update also incorporates impacts of recent U.S. policy developments, including the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which enables users to better understand how U.S. emissions are expected to evolve. Our updated business-as-usual scenario (BAU) represents our best estimate of energy use and emissions through 2050 given all current policies and expected technology costs. The BAU scenario looks markedly different than previous …

Advancing Zero Emission Fuels in Washington’s Shipping Sector

To achieve industry wide decarbonization, international shipping must embrace widespread adoption of zero or near-zero emission fuels (ZEFs). To meet the sector’s 2050 net-zero goals, planning and investment in ZEF supply chains and infrastructure must accelerate significantly this decade. In Washington, the state’s ports, government agencies, and maritime stakeholders are demonstrating a strong ambition to lead on advancing shipping decarbonization through the deployment of more sustainable fuels.

This roadmap provides insights for policymakers, industry stakeholders, and other relevant partners into feasible pathways for catalyzing deployment of zero emission shipping fuels by 2030 and fully decarbonizing shipping fuel for ocean going …

Evergreen Action Plan 2.0

The Biden-Harris Administration has done more to address the climate crisis than any other
in U.S. history. The scale of the administration’s work is on a par with that of the greatest
shared efforts in history, from the Apollo Project to the Great Society and the New Deal,
delivering sweeping climate and infrastructure legislation with the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)
and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which have already created hundreds of
thousands of jobs across this country and driven forward one of the strongest economies in the
world. The leadership Vice President Harris and President Biden demonstrated …

Energy Systems Transitions Require Systems Thinking, Innovation, and Collaboration

GTI Energy is a technology development organization with 80 years of experience demonstrating solutions at the intersection of tradition and innovation in energy systems. GTI Energy have executed more than $1 billion in energy research, development, and demonstration over the past decade as GTI Energy works to advance the innovations needed to enable low-carbon and low-cost energy systems—economy-wide.

The community of experts is focused on solutions that shape energy systems transitions across low carbon gases, liquids, infrastructure, and efficiency. GTI Energy take technologies and operational solutions from concept through to design, testing, piloting, demonstration, and commercial deployment.…